Manufacture of hose



Sept. 26, 1944. E. A. DAVIS MANUFAGTURE oF HosE Filed June 18, 1942 Patented Sept. 26, 1944 umrevs'mms Pivrr-:N'r ori-'ice zam i MANUFACTUBE F HOSE Edward A. Davis, A kron, Ohio, alslgnor to The ch Company, New York, N. Y., a

corporation oi' New .York Application June .13, 1942, Serial No. 447,523

- zclaims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of hose and is especially useful in the manufacture of fire hose or other hose having a lining of rubber-like material and a jacket enclosing the same.

Heretofore in the manufacture of jacketed hose such as fire hose it has been customary to form a tubular lining of waterproof material such as rubber and to weave or braid a tubular' Jacket about the lining, thereafter vulcanizing the lining by inating it within the jacket with steam. Where linings of unvulcanized rubber or other rubber-like material have been employed, dimculty has been experienced in handling and in stretching of the lining in drawing it into the jacket or in feeding it through the weaving or braiding machines for forming the jacket thereabout.

I'he present invention aims to overcome the foregoing and other difficulties and tol provide an improved product.

The principal objects of the invention are Ito prevent permanent elongation and thinning'of the plastic lining, to provide good adhesion and anchorage of the lining to the jacket, to provide a firm lining which can be readily fed through the weaving or braiding machine, or threaded through a preformed jacket and to provide improved apparatus and procedure.

These and other objects will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawing.

0f the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of apparatus.con structed in accordance with and embodying the invention, parts being broken away and parts.

shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the hose lining.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the com pleted hose.

In the practice of the invention in the pre ferred manner, a hose lining comprising a tube,

lpreferably in flattened form, comprising plastic (CLIM- 8) lating head II which permits passage of a strip material therethrough while extruding a coating thereabout and for this purpose is equipped with a die I2 for forming the coating about the 5 strip, and aA guide I3 for the strip material aligned with the die, means being provided for forcing va supply of plastic material to the die. A frame I4 has a pair of standards such as I5 thereon adapted to support therebetween a plurality of reels I6, I1 oi tubular lining material I3. I'he lining material is of semi-vulcanized or vulcanized rubber or other rubber-like material having great resistance to permanent elongation. 'I'he tubular lining material may have been formed by any suitable method such as by seeming together the edges of a'fiat strip, or by cut-seaming together superimposed flat strips, or .by extrusion and rprepared as by semi-curing or vulcanizing to provide resistance to permanent elongation. The lining tube is preferably of attened form, as shown in Fig. 2 as this facilitates winding, reeling and forming of the coating' thereabout, hereinafter to be described.

The flattened tubular lining I8 may be drawn alternately from either reel I6 or I1 and about guide rolls I9, 20 which align it with the guide I3. For drawing the material IB through the l extruding die and in synchronism with feed of plastic material therefrom, a pair of pinch rolls 2I,- 22 are rotatably supported in spaced-apart brackets such as 23. The upper roll 22 is journaled in bearing blocks, such as 24 vertically slidable in slots in the brackets toward and from roll 2| and is pressed towardl the roll by coil springs, such as 25 and tension screws such as 28. Roll 2l has a sprocket 2l fixed thereto. For driving the roll, an electric motor 28 is mounted on frame il and drives a gear reducer 29 which in turn drives a variable speed transmission 30, which may be of the Reeves" type, through sprockets 3|, 32 and chain 33. Transmission 30, drives sprocket 21 through a chain 34 from a sprocket 35. The arrangement is such that motor 23 drives roll 2| at any. desired speed to synchronize the feed of the lining I8 with the ex trusion of material from die I2.

As the lining I8 passes through the extruding die, a layer of unvulcanized plastic rubberlike material is formed thereon, and preferably completely thereabout to provide a coating for adhering and anchoring the lining to the jacket of the hose.

As the coated lining leaves the pinch rolls 2|, 22 it is directed downwardly into a tank 4I of a dispersion of dusting material such as soapstone,

mica. or the like in water. For this purpose, a guide roll 42 is rotatably mounted on a swing frame 42 rpivoted at 44 on the frame I4. A strut 4I is pivoted at 40 to the swing frame and has a latch slot 41 for engaging a pin 48 on frame I4. The arrangement is such that when the strut engages the pin 48, roller 42 is submerged in the tank and holds a bight of the coated lining below the surface of the dispersion, and the strut may be unlatched for raising the roller 42 when threading the apparatus.

A pair of parallel drums 50, 5I are rotatably mounted on frame I4 and a conveyor belt 52 is entrained thereabout. A pair of swing frames 53, |54 are pivotally mounted on frame I4, and have removable bars 55, 88 at their free extremities for rotatably supporting stock shells I1, 58 in contact with the belt 52. The coated lining as it emerges from the tank 4I passes over roll GII onto the conveyor 82 where it may be wound up about either stock shell 51 or 58. The conveyor is driven from the variable speed transmission by sprockets 59 and 88, and chain BI. The arrangement is such that belt 52 isdriven in synchronism with pinch rolls 2l, 22 to prevent stretching of the material and the lining is rewound on the stock shell which is driven by frictional engagement with the belt.

For drying the water from the hose lining, air jets .10, 1I are arranged to be directed thereagainst as it leaves the tank 4I and the water is evaporated by the blast of air leaving a coating of dust on the plastic coating 48. This dust permits winding of the strip in convolutions on the shells 51, 58 without sticking of the convolutions to each other.

In practicing the invention, a vulcanized or lsemi-vulcanized flattened tubular lining I8 is supplied on reels I8, I1. The end of the lining is threaded through the extruder die. Plastic adhesive material is fed to the extruder die l2 and is formed in a coating 40 upon or about the flattened tube I8. The coated tube is drawn through the die I2 by pinch rolls 2|, 22 and is conducted through the tank 4I where a coating of a dispersion of soapstone or a dispersion of other dusting material is deposited thereon. The coated strip is drawn onto conveyor 52 past air jets 10, 1I Whichdry the dispersion thereon and is wound up on one of the shells 51, 58. When the shell 51 or 58 is wound full, it is removed. A jacket 12 of textile or other suitable material is then formed thereabout progressively or a preformed jacket is drawn thereover. The vulcanized character of the lining I8 prevents excessive and permanent stretching of the lining during the formingof the jacket thereabout or during mounting of a preformed jacket thereon. 'Ihe hose may then be vulcanized in any suitable manner. 'For example, steam or hot water may then be admitted to the interior of the hose to ypress the lining into contact with the jacket and supply vulcanizing heat. As the outer coating on the lining is unvulcanized, it is softened by the heat and flows between the meshes of the Jacket, strongly anchoring and adhering the lining to the jacket. The coating of dust does not prevent such adhesion, as when the rubber material is y softened, the dust merges therewith.

The invention is especially useful in the manufacture of flattened hose, although not limited to such use, as the lining I8 being vulcanized does not-adhere to itself when flattened, and flattening facilitates handling and also passing the material through the extrusion head without employing amandrel. Also, features of the inven tion are applicable to the manufacture of hose generally, including hose having a rubber covering applied over the jacket which preferably is effected prior to vulcanization of the rubber-like material of the lining in contact with the jacket.

Variations may be made without departing from the invention as it is deilned by the following claims.

I claim:

l. Apparatus for making hose, said apparatus comprising means for applying a tubular coating of unvulcanized rubber-like material about the outer surface of a flattened, tubular lining of at least partially vulcanized rubber-like material, means for drawing the tubular lining in flattened form through said applying means, said applying means comprising an extruding die and means for extruding said unvulcanized material therethrough, and means for applying a liquid dispersion of dust to the surface of the unvuleanized rubber-like material, said drawing means comprising roll means for advancing said lining through said extruding means and the dust-applying means in synchronisln with the extruding speed of said extruding means.

2. Apparatus for making hose, said apparatus comprising a plurality of supply rolls for storing lengths of'a attened tubular lining of rubberlike material, an extruding head having means for guiding a tubular lining therethrough from either of said supply rolls and means for forming a coating of unvulcanized rubber-like material about the flattened lining, a pair of presser rolls for engaging the coated lining and advancing it from the extruding head, a tank of liquid dispersed dusting material, and means for advanclng the coated liner through said liquid dispersed 

